My spiritual path has a lot of ambiguity in it, and when faced with her very good but hard-to-answer questions, the Queen of Swords went into a panic. After all, if I couldn’t answer them all, immediately, in a compelling manner that would convince her that my faith and my reason were sound, there was something wrong with me and my path, right?!?!
I firmly believe that faith should be based on reason. But we are reasoning on evidence that is infinite. From the grand mysteries of the universe to the personal secrets of our hearts, it is a lot of information to sift through. Therefore, even if your view is absolutely correct and you could clearly and concisely convey it to others, you still wouldn't be able to convince everyone. And maybe some people could be convinced but not at that point in their lives.
It took a conversation with both my spiritual director and my priestess teacher to talk myself around to the point of seeing her questions as a valuable opportunity to clarify certain topics in my own mind, and accept that fact that due to the differences in our beliefs, it’s entirely possible that the answers that work for me might not be valid for her.
Our viewpoints on religion and faith are so different, that our questions to each other can often seem to be coming out of left field. But oftentimes it's those questions that make us stop and think about what we really believe. For instance, I know you were heading in that direction anyway, but I think a question of mine a couple years ago clarified in your mind that you weren't really Christopagan, but just plain pagan. --Not that I feel great about that... ;) But if clarity is possible, it's always better to have it than not.
Re: Frejya being a real person or a manifestation of the divine.
The answer seems to be you're not sure. I find your thoughts on it very interesting. A) A personal deity is much easier to relate to and brings a stronger sense of spirituality. B) As long as your fruits indicate you are moving toward "increased compassion, greater peace, more patience, healing," then ultimately whatever is true, your uncertainty about it is not a pressing issue.
She (Frejya) seems satisfied. I think that sincere intention counts for a great deal.
Given their own path, are the images or messages consistent with that path?
How do these experiences or images make her feel? What would be the consequence of taking them seriously and following them? Do they lead to the light or toward darkness?
Personally, I believe that movements that are in line with compassion, justice, equality, and dignity are in line with the fundamental values of the Divine.
Given the preceding quotes which were taken from successive paragraphs in your post, I think the answer to your original question can only be answered by you and no one else. Although you seem to have a baseline measurement (your religion must be "good" according to your standards of compassion, justice, equality and dignity), it is one of trial and error and doesn't necessarily translate to another person. It is a very individual religion. For you, that means you can modify your worship practices for the world you are currently living in. For others, it might mean they follow closely the ancient practices. As long as it's moving you both in the "right" direction, then they are both equally valid.
That's my take. If I've misrepresented your thoughts, please let me know.
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-30 11:05 am (UTC)My spiritual path has a lot of ambiguity in it, and when faced with her very good but hard-to-answer questions, the Queen of Swords went into a panic. After all, if I couldn’t answer them all, immediately, in a compelling manner that would convince her that my faith and my reason were sound, there was something wrong with me and my path, right?!?!
I firmly believe that faith should be based on reason. But we are reasoning on evidence that is infinite. From the grand mysteries of the universe to the personal secrets of our hearts, it is a lot of information to sift through. Therefore, even if your view is absolutely correct and you could clearly and concisely convey it to others, you still wouldn't be able to convince everyone. And maybe some people could be convinced but not at that point in their lives.
It took a conversation with both my spiritual director and my priestess teacher to talk myself around to the point of seeing her questions as a valuable opportunity to clarify certain topics in my own mind, and accept that fact that due to the differences in our beliefs, it’s entirely possible that the answers that work for me might not be valid for her.
Our viewpoints on religion and faith are so different, that our questions to each other can often seem to be coming out of left field. But oftentimes it's those questions that make us stop and think about what we really believe. For instance, I know you were heading in that direction anyway, but I think a question of mine a couple years ago clarified in your mind that you weren't really Christopagan, but just plain pagan. --Not that I feel great about that... ;) But if clarity is possible, it's always better to have it than not.
Re: Frejya being a real person or a manifestation of the divine.
The answer seems to be you're not sure. I find your thoughts on it very interesting. A) A personal deity is much easier to relate to and brings a stronger sense of spirituality. B) As long as your fruits indicate you are moving toward "increased compassion, greater peace, more patience, healing," then ultimately whatever is true, your uncertainty about it is not a pressing issue.
She (Frejya) seems satisfied. I think that sincere intention counts for a great deal.
Given their own path, are the images or messages consistent with that path?
How do these experiences or images make her feel? What would be the consequence of taking them seriously and following them? Do they lead to the light or toward darkness?
Personally, I believe that movements that are in line with compassion, justice, equality, and dignity are in line with the fundamental values of the Divine.
Given the preceding quotes which were taken from successive paragraphs in your post, I think the answer to your original question can only be answered by you and no one else. Although you seem to have a baseline measurement (your religion must be "good" according to your standards of compassion, justice, equality and dignity), it is one of trial and error and doesn't necessarily translate to another person. It is a very individual religion. For you, that means you can modify your worship practices for the world you are currently living in. For others, it might mean they follow closely the ancient practices. As long as it's moving you both in the "right" direction, then they are both equally valid.
That's my take. If I've misrepresented your thoughts, please let me know.